1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates, in general, to medical devices, and particularly to a surgical dressing for covering the entry or exit site of a surgical pin such as a halo pin, external fixation pin, traction pin, or surgical wire. These entry or exit sites are wounds subject to microbial contamination, and as such, require a dressing saturated with an appropriate antiseptic to prevent infection.
2. Information Disclosure Statement:
Prior to the present invention, patients requiring one or more surgical pins would have the entry or exit sites of the surgical pins wrapped in gauze soaked in antiseptic, such as betadine or a saline solution, to prevent infection. The gauze frequently tends to slide away from the wound, exposing the site to infection. The rate of infection is also increased because there is nothing to prevent the movement of soft tissue around the pin site as the patient changes position. The appearance of the wound where the surgical pin enters or exits the skin is unsightly, causing psychological trauma in some patients, especially children. The substantial time required to change such a dressing, together with the unappealing appearance, tends to reduce the patient compliance with a required daily changing of the dressing. Also, clips have been utilized to hold sponges onto Ilizarov wires. These clips are disadvantageous in that they slide on the wires and can easily pop off of the wires. Thus, the clips slide away from the wound with no soft tissue stability being maintained, and with the exposure to some extent of the unsightly wound area. The present invention overcomes these deficiencies.